Modified electrical devices

ABSTRACT

In one example, a modified electrical device includes a body and at least one connector on the body to make power and control connections with an active cover plate. A system includes an active cover plate comprising low voltage circuitry and a first interface and a modified electrical device. The modified electrical device includes high voltage circuitry and a second interface to connect to the first interface to supply low voltage to the active cover plate. A method for controlling a flow of power through a modified electrical device is also provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/720,131, filed Oct. 30, 2012; U.S.Provisional Application 61/778,386, filed Mar. 12, 2013; and U.S.Provisional Application 61/836,972, filed Jun. 19, 2013, whichapplications are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Thepresent application is a continuation-in-part, and claims the benefitunder 35 U.S.C. §120, of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/461,915, filed May2, 2012, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/574,344, filed Aug. 1, 2011. Theseapplications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Outlets and switches are electrical devices that are a part of modernhomes. Outlets are wall mounted devices with receptacles that supplypower when prongs of a cord are inserted into the receptacles. Switchesare wall mounted devices that control the flow of electrical power tovarious lights, appliances, etc. For example, a switch may control theflow of electrical power to a ceiling mounted light or fan.

Outlets and switches are typically installed during construction,remodeling, or maintenance of a home or building. To install outlets andswitches, an electrical box is mounted to a stud or other structuralportion of the building. Electrical wiring is routed to the electricalbox. The electrical wiring is connected to an electrical power sourcesuch as the residential grid or a local power source such as aphotovoltaic array/battery. The wall covering (such as drywall orpaneling) is then placed over the wall with an opening that exposes theinterior of the electrical box. The outlet or switch body is thenconnected to the electrical wiring and secured to the electrical box.These connections can be made in a variety of ways, including usingstab-in connectors on the back of the outlet/switch or using screwterminals on the sides of the outlet/switch.

A cover plate (also known as a “wall plate”) is then attached over theopening in the wall covering. Cover plates are typically held in placeby one or more screws that pass through the cover plate and screw intothe outlet body, switch body, or other electrical device. The coverplate serves a number of purposes, including covering the electricalconnections between the building wiring and electrical device andcovering the opening in the wall. When in place, the cover plates give afinished appearance to the wall. The cover plates are typically madefrom a piece of molded plastic that has appropriate openings to exposethe switch lever and/or receptacles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principlesdescribed herein and are a part of the specification. The illustratedexamples are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an illustrative modified electrical device andmating active cover plate, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 shows an interconnection between a male prong and a female port,according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a prong with a spring loaded tip, according to one exampleof principles described herein.

FIGS. 4A-4D show one example of an electrical system that includes anactive cover plate and a modified electrical device, according to oneexample of principles described herein.

FIGS. 5A-5D show examples of electrical systems that include an activecover plate and a modified decora switch body, according to one exampleof principles described herein.

FIGS. 6A and 6B shows one example of an electrical system that includesan active cover plate and a modified duplex outlet, according to oneexample of principles described herein.

FIG. 6C shows internal wiring in a modified duplex outlet, according toone example of principles described herein.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of various distributions of functionalitybetween an active cover plate and a modified electrical device that areconnected by a defined interface according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a multiport connector, according to oneexample of principles described herein.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show an electrical system that includes an active coverplate and modified toggle switch, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show wiring diagrams of the modified toggle switch,according to one example of principles described herein.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams of multiport connectors and electricalwiring of a modified decora outlet and the mating active cover plate,according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 11C is a side view of a modified duplex outlet showing wiringbetween various components, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIGS. 12A-12D are various diagrams of principles for layingout/describing connector patterns on the face of a modified electricaldevice, according to one example of principles described herein.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show a cover plate with surface contacts and a matingmodified duplex outlet with nub contacts, according to one example ofprinciples described herein.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show a modified outlet with internal coils and anactive cover plate that receives power from the internal coils,according to one example of principles described herein.

FIGS. 15A-15C show additional examples of coil systems transferringpower to active cover plates, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a method for installing an electrical systemthat includes a modified electrical device and a mating active coverplate, according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a method for controlling the flow ofelectrical power through a modified electrical device, according to oneexample of principles described herein.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar,but not necessarily identical, elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Modified electrical devices (“MEDs”) are any energized device that isdesigned to supply or control power or to supply electrical signals andis also configured to receive an active cover plate. For example,modified electrical devices may be an outlet or switch bodies that aremodified to power and communicate with an active cover plate. An activecover plate is a cover or wall plate that contains electrical componentsor supplies functionality that is not available in a traditional wall orcover plate. The active cover plate may obtain electrical energy from avariety of sources, including outlet or switch bodies. Additionally oralternatively, the active cover plate may be battery powered or poweredwirelessly. The active cover plates may include functional elements suchas lights, sensors, input/output devices, and communication elements.For example, an active cover plate mounted to an outlet in a room mayinclude a number of light emitting diodes (or other light generatingelements) and a light sensor. When the room is illuminated, the lightsensor turns the light emitting diodes off. When the room is dark, thelight sensor turns the light emitting diodes on. The active cover platemay supply electrical power to the light emitting diodes from the outletbody or a battery. For example, during normal operation, the activecover plate may interface with the outlet body (or switch body) toextract power from the building wiring. However, when there is noelectrical power in the building wiring, the active cover plate may drawon a battery for power to illuminate the light emitting diodes.

A variety of elements may be included in an active cover plate,including sensors such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, smokedetectors, motion detectors, microphones, radon detectors, cameras, anda variety of other sensors. The active cover plates may includeinput/output elements such as additional switches, touch sensitiveelements, microphones, display screens, speakers or other elements. Theactive cover plates may also include communication elements such aswireless communication circuits (such as BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, cellularcircuits) or wired communication circuits (such as communication overpower line technology). For example, in some embodiments the activecover plate may function or interface with a thermostat. The activecover plate may include a temperature sensor and communicate with a homeautomation system or thermostat to control the temperature of a room orrooms. In some instances the thermostat setting the room or an extendedarea may be altered through an interface on a cover plate. Additionally,the active cover plates in a building may act as a sensor network thatlearns behavior patterns of the occupants and may anticipate their needsbased on past behavior.

The interface between the active cover plate and the device body thatallows for the extraction of power out of the building wiring may take avariety of forms, including wired interfaces or wireless interfaces.Wireless interfaces have a number of advantages, including the potentialfor a sealed cover plate with no exposed electrical contacts. Wiredinterfaces have a number of advantages including almost lossless energytransfer, simplicity, cost effectiveness and the ability to transferlarge amounts of electrical energy if desired.

The description below focuses on, but is not limited to, modifiedelectrical devices that incorporate additional electrical interfacesthat are specifically designed to power an active cover plate. Theseinterfaces are “wired” interfaces where conductive elements in theactive cover plate are brought into contact with mating conductiveelements in the device body. Electrical power is transferred through thecontacting conductive elements to power the functionality of the coverplate.

There are a number of design considerations that can be taken intoaccount when designing a modified electrical device for powering anactive cover plate. For example, in some implementations there may notbe a preferred orientation for installing a device body (i.e the outletor switch body). The device body may be installed right-side up orupside down. If there is a preferred orientation for the active coverplate, the device body/active cover plate may be designed to connect tothe modified device body in either its upside down or right side uporientation. For example, if the active cover plate includes anightlight, it may be desirable for the nightlight to be pointeddownward to illuminate the floor rather than upward. Consequently, theactive cover plate should be able to connect to modified outlet bodiesthat are right side up or upside down with the active cover plateremaining upright with the nightlights pointing downward. For activecover plates that do not have a preferred orientation, the ability toconnect the active cover plate in both the upside down and right side uporientations can still simplify installation.

In addition to power connections, the modified electrical devices mayalso include communication connections between the active cover platesand the modified electrical devices. For example, the communicationports may allow for control of a relay inside the modified electricaldevice or other communication between the active cover plate and themodified electrical device it is connected to.

Ideally, the interface between the modified electrical device and theactive cover plate would be self-aligning, mechanically robust, andelectrically reliable. For example, one consideration in making aconnection between the modified electrical device and an activeelectrical device is that there may be a variable distance between themodified electrical device and the cover plate. The electrical box maybe mounted at varying depths on the stud and the wall covering may havevariable thickness. However, the active cover plate is mounted flushwith the exterior of the wall covering. Thus there can be a variabledistance between the active cover plate and the modified electricalconnections. Various designs below account for these and other factorsto produce modified electrical outlets and active cover plates that areeasy to install, versatile, and reliable.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present systems and methods. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus, systems,and methods may be practiced without these specific details. It isunderstood that the figures are diagrammatic and schematicrepresentations of some embodiments of the invention, and are notlimiting of the present invention, nor are they necessarily drawn toscale. Reference in the specification to “an example” or similarlanguage means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the example is included in at least thatone example, but not necessarily in other examples. Features shownand/or described in connection with one figure may be combined withfeatures shown and/or described in connection with other figures.

In general, the terms “active cover plate,” “active wall plate,” or“interactive cover plate” are used broadly to include anything that isnot plugged into the designated outlet receptacles themselves, but issomething that is still powered by the outlet in any other way exceptbeing powered by the original designated receptacles. An active coverplate allows original designated receptacles and switches to still beaccessible. Also it does not matter how the wall plate is attached tothe outlet whether it be with a screw, snapped in, magnetic connections,or any other way. For example, the cover plate may have high strengthmagnets that are attracted to metal in the outlet or outlet box (such asthe metal brackets that are used to connect the outlet to the outletbox). The cover plate may simply be placed over the outlet and be heldin place by magnetic attraction between the magnets in the cover plateand the brackets on the outlet.

The term “human interface element” refers to any components on aninstalled device body (e.g. switch/outlet body) that are designed for ahuman to interface with. For example, human interface elements mayinclude plug in receptacles that are designed for a human to pressprongs of an electrical cord into. Other types of human interfaceelements include toggle switches, buttons, sliders, touch screens,displays and other components that a human touches, manipulates, ormanipulates another object into contact with. In general, active coverplates installed over outlet/switch bodies leave human interfaceelements of the outlet/switch bodies exposed and accessible for humaninteraction. In one example, an active cover plate may be installed overa duplex outlet body. Both outlet receptacles (“human interfaceelements”) can be exposed through the active cover plate. However, insome embodiments the active cover plate may cover or replace some of thehuman interface elements on an outlet body.

The term “NEMA receptacle” refers to the blade or blade/prongconfigurations defined by U.S. National Electrical ManufacturesAssociation (NEMA) 5-15R standard. NEMA receptacles are the standardelectrical outlet found in almost every home and building in the UnitedStates. Similar and interchangeable connectors are used in Canada andMexico. NEMA 1 connectors have two blades while NEMA 5 connectors havetwo blades and a ground prong. The dimensional standard for theseelectrical connectors is ANSI/NEMA WD-6.

As discussed above, an outlet or switch may be used as a source of powerfor an active cover plate. For simplicity, an outlet, switch, or otherinterface with building electrical wiring will be called “an electricaldevice”. The electrical devices may be modified, changed, or customizedin a variety of ways to accommodate powering of the active cover plate.

The term “building wiring” refers to a range of electrical wiring thatcarries electrical power through a structure to outlets/switches foruse/control by a user. For example, “building wiring” refers toelectrical wiring in homes, businesses, commercial buildings, schools,and other structures. The building wiring may carry a range of voltagesdepending on the electrical system the building wiring is connected toand the standard of the country the building wiring is used in. Forexample, building wiring may have voltages of 100, 110, 115, 120, 127,208, 220, 230, 240, 277 and 480 volts with frequencies of 60 or 50hertz. Other building wiring systems may utilize DC voltages.

A variety of electrical devices can be modified to provide connectivityto an active cover plate. For example, electrical devices that could bemodified include decora light switches, duplex light switches, gangedlight switches, outlet and switch combinations, outlets/switch thatinclude USB ports, ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets,surge protector outlets, arc-fault outlets, relay switch type outlets(such as ZIGBEE enabled outlets), single outlets, keyed/locking outlets,and a variety of other outlets and switches.

The modified electrical device may include internal circuitry to stepdown the input voltage from the building electrical wiring. For example,the input voltage may be 120 volts, 240 volts or some other standardinput voltage. Electronics, such as coils, diodes, transformers,rectifiers, resistors, capacitors or other electronic components may beincluded inside the modified electrical device itself. These electronicsmay step down the voltage for use by the active cover plates. Forexample, the lower voltage may be a voltage between 1 and 36 volts. Thisoutput voltage may be selected to be the highest voltage that an activecover plate may require. Alternatively, the output voltage may bedesigned to specifically supply a desired voltage for a particularactive cover plate. The active cover plate may further reduce thisvoltage if necessary. In some examples, part of the cover plate mayoperate at a first voltage and other parts of the cover plate mayoperate at a different voltage. For example, the output voltage from theelectrical circuitry may be 12 volts and the cover plate may use 12volts to power an external device that is connected to the cover plate(such as a security system) while the other parts of the cover plate mayuse 2 to 4 volts to power nightlights.

Active cover plates could make electrical connections to theoutlet/switch bodies in a variety of ways. For example, theoutlet/switch body may include an electrical contact on a surface. Theactive cover plate has corresponding contacts. When the active coverplate is fastened over the outlet/switch body, the contacts meet and theactive cover plate receives electrical power from the outlet/switchbody. In other examples, the outlet/switch body may communicatepower/signals to the cover plate wirelessly.

In one implementation, the modified outlet/switch body may include anumber of female ports that are incorporated into the bodies of theoutlets/switches. For each design, the active cover plate has acorresponding pattern of prongs that are configured to interface withall or a portion of the ports. In most cases, the connection between theactive cover plate and the outlet is configured so that theoutlet/switch can be installed right side up or upside down withoutadversely affecting the cover plate performance. The female ports on theoutlet/switch body and the prongs on the cover plate can be located inany convenient location that is safe and functional. Although circularprongs and female ports are shown in the figures, the prongs/ports couldhave a variety of configurations, including rectangular or squareblades.

FIG. 1A shows an active cover plate (100) for a duplex outlet with fourprongs (110) extending rearward from the back surface of the coverplate. These prongs (110) are electrically connected to internalcircuitry in the active cover plate (100). FIG. 1B shows one example ofa modified electrical device (160) with female receptacles or ports(120) that correspond to the prongs (110, FIG. 1A) on the active coverplate (100, FIG. 1A). When the active cover plate (100) shown in FIG. 1Ais fastened over the modified electrical device (160), the prongs (110,FIG. 1A) interface with the female ports (120) and transfer electricalpower from the modified electrical device (160) to the circuitry in theactive cover plate (100, FIG. 1A). In this example, the modifiedelectrical device is a duplex outlet body. As discussed above, theoutlet body (160) may be mounted right side up (with slots (130) in theoutlet above the ground aperture (140) as shown in FIG. 1B) or theoutlet body (160) may be mounted upside down (with the slots (130) inthe outlet face below the ground aperture (140). Either orientation isoperable. The active cover plate (100, FIG. 1A) may or may not have apreferred orientation. For example, if the active cover plate (100, FIG.1A) is designed for illumination, the active cover plate (100, FIG. 1A)may need to be oriented in a particular direction to have the lightemitted in the desired direction. For maximum versatility, the activecover plate (100, FIG. 1A) can be designed to connect in the desiredorientation to outlet bodies that are right side up or upside down. Insome examples, only two of the prongs (110, FIG. 1A) may need to makecontact to form the desired interface with the outlet body (160).Current flow through the other two prongs (110, FIG. 1A) can be blockedin a variety of ways, including using diodes.

The configurations described above are only illustrative. The prong/port(110/120) configurations and arrangements may take any suitable form.

FIG. 2 shows additional details of one technique for making electricalcontact between a prong (110) and a female port (120) in an outlet body.The prong (110) may include a support/base (125), a conductive body(135), and a tip (145). For clarity, the connection between the prong(110) and the active cover plate (100, FIG. 1A) is not shown in thisexample. In this example, the prong (110, FIG. 1A) is axially symmetricand includes a conical support/base (125), a conductive body (135), anda tip (145) with a 180 degree radius. The conductive body (135) in thisexample is a tubular copper/brass body. The support/base (125) providesmechanical stability to the prong (110) and allows for a larger crosssectional area to be connected to the back of the active cover plate(100, FIG. 1A). The copper/brass conductive body (135) extends away fromthe support/base (125) and terminates at the tip (145). The rounded tip(145) may provide a number of advantages including guiding the prong(110) into a matching female receptacle or port (120).

The male prong (110) is inserted into the female port (120). The femaleport (120) may include a funnel shaped opening (“guide”) (210) that isdesigned to interact with a tip (145) of a prong to guide the prong(110) into alignment with a central cavity of the female port (120). Asthe tip (145) of the male prong enters the central cavity of the femaleport (120), it is pressed against the electrical contact (240). Thisparticular design is configured to make electrical contact even when themale prong (110) is only partially inserted (as shown in FIG. 2) andalso to make electrical contact when the male prong (110) is completelyinserted. This can be advantageous because there may be a variabledistance between the active cover plate (100, FIG. 1A) and the outletbody (160, FIG. 1B). As discussed above, this variable distance canresult from the modified outlet body (160, FIG. 1B) being mounted atdifferent depths with respect to the outer surface of the wall covering.By allowing the male prong (110) to make electrical contact with thewire when the male prong (110) is only partially inserted into thefemale port (120), these variable distances can be accommodated and theconnection can be more robust.

FIG. 2 also shows a diagram of the electrical components in an outlet orswitch body that are used to connect the building wiring to theelectrical contact in the female port (120). In this example, there is adirect electrical connection between the building wiring and the femaleport (120). The screw (270) is on the exterior of the outlet body (160,FIG. 1B) and passes through a threaded hole in the conductive strip(260). The building wiring is placed between the head of the screw andthe conductive strip (260) and the screw (270) is tightened to sandwichthe building wiring between the head of the screw (270) and theconductive strip (260). An electrical contact (240) is connected to theconductive strip (260). The connection (230) may be formed in any of avariety of ways, including pressing, soldering, or riveting theconductive strip (260) to the electrical contact (240). The electricalcontact (240) extends into the cavity of the port (120) to make anelectrical connection with an inserted male prong (110).

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of a prong (110). In thisexample, the prong is a spring loaded prong (310) that includes a base(325) that has a cavity through its center. A spring (315) is containedwithin the cavity. One end of a plunger (320) interfaces with the spring(315), which exerts a force that tends to push the plunger (320) out ofthe cavity. The spring loaded prong (310) may have a number ofadvantages including a greater range of contact with the female port(120, FIG. 1B).

A variety of other prong designs could be used. For example, the prongmay have a square or rectangular cross section. In one example, theprong may incorporate spring elements that press outward against thewalls of the female port.

FIGS. 4A-4D show one example of an active cover plate (100) and modifiedelectrical device (400) designed to interface with the active coverplate (100). In this example, the active cover plate (100) and modifiedoutlet body (400) have a “decora” style. The decora style includes asingle rectangular outlet face that includes two NEMA type receptacles(“human interface elements”). Each NEMA style receptacle includes twoslots (130) and a ground opening (140).

The active cover plate shown in FIG. 4A is a rear view. In this example,the active cover plate (100) includes an aperture (410) to receive therectangular outlet face, through holes (415) to accept screws to securethe active cover plate (100) over the decora outlet body (400), and a2-port connector (420). The 2-port connector (420) in this rear view islocated at the upper right hand side of the aperture (410). The 2-portconnector (420) includes two prongs (110).

The modified electrical device (400) shown in FIG. 4B includes two2-port connectors (430): Connector A (430-1) and Connector B (430-2).When the decora outlet body (400) and the active cover plate (100) areboth in the right side up configuration, the cover plate connector (420)will interface with connector A (430-1) on the outlet body. When eitherthe active cover plate (100) or the decora outlet body (400) is upsidedown, the cover plate connector (420) will interface with connector B(430-2). Consequently, the active cover plate (100) can be connected inthe desired orientation regardless of the orientation of the decoraoutlet body (400).

FIG. 4C is a cutaway front view of a decora outlet body (400) showingthe electrical connections between the screw terminals (460, 470, 480),the NEMA connectors (440, 450), and the 2-port connectors (430). Thescrew terminal on the right is the hot screw terminal (480) and isconnected to the hot electrical building wire. The neutral screwterminal (460) on the left is connected to the neutral electricalbuilding wire. A ground wire is connected to the ground screw terminal(470) on the bottom left of FIG. 4C. The wiring from the ground terminal(470) is not shown in the figure. An electrical connector from the hotscrew terminal (480) is shown as a dark trace that connects to the hotblade receptacle (490) in the NEMA connectors and to hot port A (450-1)and hot port B (450-2) in the connectors (430-1, 430-2). The electricalconnections from the neutral screw terminal (460) are shown as lightertrace that is connected to the neutral blade receptacle (495) on theleft and the neutral port A (440-1) and neutral port B (440-2). When theactive cover plate (100, FIG. 4A) is connected over the modified outletbody (400), the active cover plate connector (420, FIG. 4A) willinterface with one of connector A (430-1) or connector B (430-2). Thiswill make a connection between the active cover plate (100, FIG. 4A) andthe hot (450) and neutral (440) electrical wiring. FIG. 4D shows a frontview of the active cover plate (100) connected over the decora outletbody (400). The active cover plate (100) covers the both connector A(430-1, FIG. 4C) and connector B (430-2, FIG. 4C).

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams of a “decora” style active cover plate(100) and a “decora” style modified switch (510). In this case, thepress button rocker is the “human interface element.” The decora styleactive cover plate (100) can be similar or identical to the active coverplate shown in FIG. 4A and includes a cover plate connector (420). Thisdecora style active cover plate (100) can be used with a decora stylemodified switch (510), a modified decora outlet body (400), and otherdecora style devices such as arc-fault outlets and GFCI outlets. Lightswitches or any other devices that usually do not have an electricalpath of return (i.e. connection to a “neutral” wire) may have anadditional terminal for connection to the neutral building wire or otherpath of return. For example, light switches may not have a neutralreturn screw terminal on the light switch body.

In this example, the decora style active cover plate (100) in FIG. 5Awill be connected over a decora style switch body (510) in FIG. 5B. Thedecora switch body (510) includes 2-port connectors A and B (530-1,530-2) in the same location as the decora outlet body (400) shown inFIG. 4B. Consequently, the same decora style active cover plate (100)can be used for both types of modified electrical devices (400, FIG. 4B;510). Although the ports (530) in FIG. 5B are shown in the upper lefthand corner and lower right hand corner, the ports (530) could belocated at any convenient location on the modified electrical device(510). For example, the upper port could be on the right and the lowerport could be on the left.

FIGS. 5C and 5D show an alternative embodiment. In this example, theactive cover plate (100) includes two cover plate connectors (420-1,420-2) and the switch body (510) includes only one connector (530). Thecover plate (100) can still be connected upside down or right side up tothe switch body. For example, when the cover plate (100) is connectedright side up with the switch body, the first cover plate connector(420-1) will connect with the switch body connector (530). When theactive cover plate (100) is connected to the switch body upside down,the second cover plate connector (420-2) will connect to the switch bodyconnector (530). The principle of using two connectors on an activecover plate and only one connector on the receptacle body can begenerally applied. For example, in the description below, a variety ofdifferent cover plates and modified electrical devices are described.The modified electrical devices generally include two separateconnectors and the active cover plates include only one connector.However, this arrangement could be reversed as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5Dso that the active cover plates include two connectors and the modifiedelectrical devices include only one connector.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a modified electrical device (160) with itscorresponding active cover plate (100). In this example the modifiedelectrical device (160) is a modified duplex outlet body and the activecover plate (100) is a duplex style active cover plate. The modifiedduplex outlet body (160) includes two 2-port connectors (430): connectorA (430-1) and connector B (430-2). These two 2-port connectors (430) arelocated on either side of a threaded hole (610) in the center portion ofthe outlet body (160). In this example, the corresponding active coverplate (100) has only one 2-port connector (420) with prongs (110). The2-port connector (420) is offset from a through hole (415). The activecover plate (100) also includes two apertures (625) to receive the twocorresponding NEMA style receptacles of the outlet body (160). Asdiscussed above, the cover plate connector (420) can connect to eitherone of the outlet connectors (430) depending on the relative orientationbetween the outlet body (160) and the active cover plate (100).

The configuration shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B may have a number ofadvantages, including forming a more secure electrical connectionbetween the active cover plate (100) and the outlet body (160) due tothe proximity between the 2-port connectors (430) and the screw passingthrough the through hole (415) in the active cover plate (100) into thethreaded hole (610) in the outlet body (160).

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing one example of electrical wiring inside themodified electrical device (160) shown in FIG. 6A. The modified outletbody (160) includes a number of screw terminals: a hot screw terminal(480), a ground screw (470) terminal and a neutral screw terminal (460).As discussed above, the appropriate wires from the building wiring areconnected to the screw terminals. The hot terminal (480) is electricallyconnected to the two hot NEMA blade receptacles (490) and to one of thetwo hot female ports (450) in each of connector A (430-1) and connectorB (430-2). The neutral screw terminal (460) is connected to the twoneutral NEMA blade receptacles (495) and to the two neutral female ports(440) in connector A (430-1) and connector B (430-2).

The two hot ports (450) are kitty corner from each other rather thanstraight across from each other. The hot port (450) is in the lowerposition in connector A (430-1) and in the upper position in connector B(430-2). The neutral port (440) is in the upper position in connector A(430-1) and in the lower position in connector B (430-2). This allowsfor the same male prong (110, FIG. 6B) on the active cover plate (100,FIG. 6B) to interface with a hot port (450) regardless of whether theactive cover plate (100, FIG. 6B) is put on right side up or upsidedown.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electrical system that includes anactive cover plate (100) and a modified electrical device (160). Theactive cover plate (100) interfaces with the modified electrical device(160) through a defined interface (740). The defined interface (740)includes power supplied to the active cover plate (100) and may includesignal or data communication between the active cover plate (100) andthe modified electrical device (160). In general, the interface mayinclude a mechanical connection and one or more electrical connections.For example, the mechanical/electrical connectors could be a multiportmale/female connection. Additionally or alternatively, the mechanicalconnection may be made through a fastener (such as a screw threadinginto an outlet body), magnets, or through other means. The electricalconnection may be wired or wireless. For example, in the embodimentsillustrated above, the electrical connections are wired and are madeusing a plurality of male pins that are grouped to interface withcorresponding female ports in the outlet body.

The system may include a number of modules or functionalities that canbe distributed between the modified electrical device (160) and theactive cover plate (100). The modules shown in the figures are onlyillustrative. The illustrated modules could be reordered, replaced,eliminated, or new modules could be added. Further, the distribution ofthe modules between the active cover plate (100) and the modifiedelectrical outlet (160) could be changed. In this example, the activecover plate (100) includes processor/control electronics (710), powerconditioning (715), sensors (720), a wireless transmitter/receiver(725), and output/actuator devices (730). The active cover plate (100)may also include an energy management system (735) that may measureand/or act to conserve energy within the active cover plate (100) and/orthe modified electrical device (160). In this example, the modifiedelectrical device (160) includes only its own functionality(outlet/switch functionality) (750) and a relay (755) and/or dimmer(757). The relay (755) selectively breaks the electrical connection tothe NEMA receptacles. The relay (755) may be controlled in a variety ofways, including through the use of control signals received from theactive cover plate (100) through the defined interface (740). In someexamples, the relay (755) may be used to turn on and off devices thatare connected to the NEMA receptacles.

One example of a system that may be configured as shown in FIG. 7 is anactive cover plate (100) with a carbon monoxide detector. A fan may beplugged into the NEMA receptacle. The active cover plate (100) receivespower from the modified electrical device (160) through the definedinterface (740) and conditions the power for its own use. When theactive cover plate (100) detects carbon monoxide, it analyzes the amountof the carbon monoxide. If the carbon monoxide exceeds a predeterminedlevel or threshold, the active cover plate (100) sends a control signalthrough the interface (740) to the relay (755). The relay (755) closes,thereby allowing electrical current to flow through the NEMA receptacleto the fan. The fan removes the carbon monoxide from the area. In somecircumstances, the active cover plate (100) may also wirelessly transmitdata reporting the buildup of carbon monoxide to a base station, homeautomation system, internet or other device. The active cover plate(100) may also control output/actuator devices (730). For example, theactive cover plate (100) may illuminate a light or sound an alarmindicating the presence of carbon monoxide.

Thus in FIG. 7, most of the circuitry and functionality resides in theactive cover plate (100). This may have a number of advantages. Theactive cover plate (100) can be very easy to replace. This can allow forvery easy updating and modification of the system. If a cover plate witha new sensor (720) or communication module is available and desired, theold active cover plate (100) can be removed and the new active coverplate (100) installed by simply removing/refastening one or two screws.Thus a home security system can be converted from a ZIGBEE based systemto a Wi-Fi based system in a matter of minutes by simply replacing theZIGBEE cover plates with new cover plates containing Wi-Fitransmitter/receivers. In general, FIG. 7 shows an embodiment where theactive cover plate (100) can also control the functionality of themodified electrical device (160). The sensors (720) in the active coverplate (100) could sense light, sound, motion or accept control signalsto switch the relay (755) in the modified electrical device (160) ON orOFF according to the sensed conditions/commands.

Alternatively, more of the functionality is contained in the modifiedelectrical device (160). For example, the active cover plate (100) maycontain only two modules/functionalities: sensors (720) andoutput/actuator devices (730). The active cover plate (100) receives itspower and control from the modified electrical device (160) through thedefined interface (740). The modified electrical device (160) includesits own outlet/switch functionality (750) and also power conditioning(715) functionality. The power conditioning circuitry (715) deliverselectrical power with the desired characteristics to the active coverplate (100) through the defined interface (740). For example, the activecover plate (100) may require 12V DC. The power conditioning circuitry(715) converts 120 V DC (or other power) to the required 12 volts DC.The modified electrical device (160) may also include communicationcircuitry. For example, the modified electrical device (160) maycommunicate with other modified electrical devices (160) using thebuilding power (760). The modified electrical device (160) may alsoinclude processor/control electronics (710) for analyzing data andmaking control decisions. As discussed above, the modified electricaldevice (160) may also include a relay (755), dimmer (757) or other highvoltage circuitry to control a flow of electrical current through thedevice.

In some examples, the modified electrical device may be constructed sothat a standard cover plate can fit over it. The standard cover platehas no electrical load or functionality. It simply fits onto themodified electrical device and covers openings to the electrical box. Ifa user later wants to add functionality to their electrical system, theycan simply replace the standard cover plate with an active cover platecontaining the desired functionality. The active cover plate theninterfaces electrically with the modified electrical device to providethe desired functionality. Thus, in one embodiment, the modifiedelectrical device is configured to accept both standard (non-active)cover plates and active cover plates. Further, the active cover platemay or may not interface with the connectors on the face of thereceptacle body. For example, the active cover plate may include anumber of prongs that contact screw terminals on the sides of thereceptacle body.

As discussed above, there may be a variety of active cover plates thatcould be used in conjunction with the modified electrical device andthese active cover plates could be readily swapped out to provide thedesired functionality. For example, when a new sensing or communicationtechnology becomes available, an old active cover plate can be swappedout with a new active cover plate that contains the new sensing orcommunication technology. This allows for the same modified electricaldevice to remain in place, together with any power, communication, andsensing technology that it contains. For example, a modified electricaldevice may include a relay that is controlled by a control signalreceived from an active cover plate. Originally, the active cover platethat communicates using ZIG-BEE technology may be used for short rangewireless monitoring and control. The owner then decides that a longerdistance technology would be desirable and selects a Z-WAVE active coverplate to replace the ZIG-BEE active cover plate. By simply replacing thecover plate and without any need to purchase or replace the modifiedelectrical device, the system can be converted from ZIG-BEE to Z-WAVEtechnologies.

Thus, separating the functionality of the electrical system between anactive cover plate and a modified electrical device can providesignificant flexibility and cost savings in upgrading the electricalsystem. Swapping active cover plates can be accomplished by removing oneor two screws that hold the active cover plate in place, pulling theactive cover plate away from the modified electrical device to breakelectrical contact with the modified electrical device and replacing itwith a different active cover plate. For example, the modifiedelectrical device may contain high voltage components such as relays,dimmers, fuses, breakers, and power conditioning circuitry. In this casethe term “high voltage” refers to the voltage delivered by the buildingwiring to the modified electrical device. The active cover plate pairedwith the modified electrical device may contain low voltage circuitrysuch as wireless communication modules, sensors and control circuitry.This separation of functionality between an active cover plate and amodified electrical device may also provide a number of safety andmanufacturing benefits. Because the high voltage circuitry is encased inthe modified electrical device, there is minimal risk of shock or arcingin the active cover plate or at the interface between the modifiedelectrical device and the active cover plate. This reduces safety risksassociated with the active cover plate. Additionally, when an activecover plate only contains low voltage components there can be morelatitude in the design of the active cover plate and can reduce theoverall cost of producing the active cover plate.

The examples given above show various distributions of functionality andcomponents throughout the system. A variety of otherelements/functionalities could be included and various otherdistribution arrangements could be used.

The incorporation of control and signal lines between the modifiedelectrical device (160, FIG. 1B) and the active cover plate (100, FIG.1A) may require additional conductive paths in the interface. FIG. 8shows one example of a connector that includes multiple male prongs(110) and mating female ports (120). In this example, the male prongs(110) are arranged in a linear array. However, they could be arranged inany desired configuration. The male prongs (110) are surrounded by aninner wall (820). In some examples, the inner wall (820) may extendbeyond the prongs (110) to protect them from accidental damage. The maleprongs (110) and inner wall (820) are connected to the active coverplate (100, FIG. 1A).

The outlet/switch connector (860) is designed to mate with the coverplate connector (810). The outlet/switch connector (860) includes ablock (830) with a number of female ports (120) disposed in the block(830). The block (830) is surrounded by a trench (840) between the block(830) and an outer wall (850) that is sized to receive the inner wall(820) of the cover plate connector (810). When the two connectors arebrought together, the inner wall (820) fits into the trench (840) andthe male prongs (110) make electrical connections with the female ports(120). In this example, there are five electrical connections made whenthe connectors are mated. However, there may be any number of otherelectrical connections. For example, there may be one, two, three, four,five or more electrical connections formed in the interface.

FIG. 9A shows one example of an active cover plate (100) that includes athree prong/port connector (920). In this example, the active coverplate (100) is for covering a toggle switch. The active cover plate(100) includes: an aperture (925) for the toggle switch to extendthrough, two through holes (415) to receive screws to secure the coverplate to the switch body, and a three pronged connector (920).

In the example shown in FIG. 9B, the modified electrical device (160) isa switch body that includes two connectors (930), each with three femaleports (910, 440, 450). One connector (930-1) is located above the toggleswitch and one connector (930-2) is located below the toggle switch. Theswitch body includes multiple screw terminals, including two separatehot terminals (480), a neutral terminal (460), and a ground terminal(470). The switch body is slightly more complex to interface with thanan active cover plate (100, FIG. 9 a) because the switch has two states:“ON” and “OFF”. In the ON configuration electrical current can flowbetween the two hot terminals (480). In the OFF configuration, thecircuit is broken and there is no electrical path through the switch. Toovercome this, three power connections are made between the cover plateand the switch body: ground (910), neutral (440), and hot (450). Thesethree power ports allow the active cover plate (100) to receiveelectrical power regardless of the state of the switch and without“back-feeding” through the light when the light switch is in the OFFposition. The ground port (910) may or may not be used. Typically, thereturn path of the electricity is through the neutral port (440).

FIG. 10A is a wiring diagram of an illustrative modified electricaldevice (160). In this example, the modified electrical device (160) is aswitch body that includes 4-port connectors (1020). As discussed above,the modified switch body includes a ground terminal (470), hot screwterminals (480), and a neutral screw terminal (460). The two 4-portconnectors (1020) are located above and below the toggle switch. Each ofthe connectors (1020) includes a hot port (450), neutral port (440), afirst control line port (“C1”) (1050-1) and a second control line port(“C2”) (1050-2). The appropriate connections are made between thevarious screw terminals and the ports to connect the neutral screwterminal (460) and hot screw terminal (480) to the designated ports. Theswitch body also includes an internal relay (1075). The relay (1075)controls connectivity between the two hot terminals (480). The relay(1075) is controlled by control lines/ports “C1” (1050-1) and “C2”(1050-2). The relay (1075) can cut power to a connected device bycreating an open circuit. This bypasses the manual switch remotely. Alsoshown are control junction points (1025) and hot points (1030, 1040).

FIG. 10B shows a partially cut away side view of the modified electricaldevice (160) shown in FIG. 10A, which is a switch body. The switch bodyincludes a printed circuit board (PCB) (1080) mounted by standoffs(1085) extending from the housing of the switch body. On the PCB (1080)there is a relay (1070) and various power conditioning/control circuits.In this example, a “hot” return line (1040) is connected to the relay(1070) and low voltage signal connections (470) from the controljunction points (1025) are connected to the PCB (1080) to control theaction of the relay (1070). The PCB (1080) also receives power inputsthrough power lines (1090) that conditions power on the circuit boardand supplies the power to the appropriate ports at theinterface/connectors.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a decora style system with multiport connectors.In this example, the active cover plate (100) has a 4-port connector(1120) located in the upper right side of the plate. This 4-portconnectors (1120) include a hot prong (440-1), neutral prong (450-1),and two control ports (1050-1, 1050-2). The modified electrical device(160) in this example is a decora outlet body that includes two 4-portconnectors (1125-1, 1125-2), one located on the upper left of the bodyand one located on the lower right of the body.

In FIG. 11B, a cutaway top view of the electrical connections betweenthe various ports and terminals are shown. Two “hot” connections(1130-1, 1130-2) bring power into an internal relay (1070, FIG. 11C) inthe outlet body. There are two return lines from the internal relay(shown below in FIG. 11C), one for the top outlet (1150) and one forbottom outlet (1155). These two return lines are controlled by theinternal relay and only deliver electricity to the outlet receptacleswhen the internal relay is closed.

In general, the term “multiport connector” refers to connectors thatinclude, in addition to power ports, communication or control ports. Amultiport connector may include a hot port, a neutral or ground port,and one or more communication/control ports. The control ports allowcommunication back and forth between the modified electrical device andthe active cover plate. This communication may include, for example,power consumption data sensed by the modified electrical device or aroom temperature detected by the active cover plate. In oneimplantation, a heater is being run in a room. The cover plate may sensea buildup of heat in the room and instruct the modified outlet to turnoff power to the heater.

In another example, if the active cover plate detects that a room is notbeing used, the modified electrical device could be instructed to turnoff the lights. Additionally, the active cover plate and/or the modifiedelectrical device could be in communication with a network or wirelessdevice that could be used to receive signals/sensor data from system.Additionally, the external device could send signals controlling thefunction of the modified electrical device and active cover plate.

FIG. 11C is similar to FIG. 10B and shows a partially cutaway side viewof the outlet (in this case a decora outlet body). Power lines (1090) tothe PCB (1080) are brought from the upper portions of the decora outletbody. The PCB (1080) is mounted to a housing of the outlet by standoffs(1085) extending from the housing of the outlet body, with wirelesscomponents (1082) and a relay (1070) mounted to the PCB (1080). Thecontrol port lines (1145) make control connections between the activecover plate (100, FIG. 11A) and the decora outlet body. The control portlines (1145) may be used to control elements on the active cover plate(100, FIG. 11A) or elements within the outlet body. The control portlines (1145) may also be used to transfer data between the active coverplate (100, FIG. 11A) and the decora outlet body.

In many outlets, there are break off tabs (1140-1, 1140-2, FIG. 11B)between the two neutral screw terminals (460-1, 460-2) and the two hotscrew terminals (480-1, 480-2). The break off tabs (1140) can be removedto electrically separate the two neutral screws and/or the two hot screwterminals. In this case one of the hot screw terminals is labeled“common” and will always be powered when the outlet is correctlyinstalled. By connecting the port wiring to the common hot/neutral screwterminal, the ports will receive power regardless of whether thebreakout tab is removed or not.

FIGS. 12A-12D are simplified diagrams of illustrative patterns andconfigurations for connectors on the face of the modified electricaldevice (160). FIG. 12A shows a modified electrical device (160) thatincludes two device connectors; connector A (1210-1) and connector B(1210-2), each with N ports (1215). The modified electrical device (160)could be based on any of a number of electrical outlets, switches, orterminals. The two device connectors (1210) could be any of a number ofconnector types, including surface contacts, male prongs, female ports,or other appropriate connectors. The device connectors (1210) may haveany number of ports/prongs/contacts that are arranged in any of a numberof geometries. In the example shown in FIG. 12A, the device connector A(1210-1) includes port 1, port 2 . . . to port N, where N can be zero orany positive integer. For example, the device connector A (1210-1) mayinclude 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more ports, prongs, or contacts. In someembodiments, the device connector B (1210-2) is identical to the deviceconnector A (1210-1) except that it is oriented on the face of themodified electrical device (160) in a different way. In general, theterm “face” refers to any exposed surface of the modified electricaldevice (160) that is presented for connection when the modifiedelectrical device (160) is installed in an electrical box. Theorientation of the connectors allows a modified electrical device to bemounted upside down or right side up and active cover plate (100, FIG.1A) to be connected in either a right side up or upside downconfiguration while maintaining the same polarity on the electricalconnections in the active cover plate (100, FIG. 1A). The term “samepolarity” means that a voltage with the same positive sense isconsistently applied to the same electrical conductor in the activecover plate, irrespective of the relative orientation of the activecover plate with respect to the receptacle body. Similarly the term“same polarity” means that a voltage with the same negative sense isconsistently applied to a particular electrical conductor in the activecover plate, irrespective of the relative orientation of the activecover plate with respect to the receptacle body. If alternating currentis supplied from the receptacle body to the active cover plate, the term“same polarity” means that the “hot” terminal and the “neutral” terminalon the receptacle body are each connected to a particular conductor inthe active cover plate regardless of the relative orientation of theactive cover plate with respect to the receptacle body.

The arrangement of the connectors can be described in a variety of ways.For example, the orientation of connector B (1210-2) with respect toconnector A (1210-1) may be mirrored about a vertical axis (1220) andmirrored about a horizontal axis (1230). This results in connector B(1210-2) being upside down on an opposite side of the face of themodified electrical device (160).

FIG. 12B shows another way of describing the orientation of theconnectors A (1210-1) and B (1210-2) on the face of the modifiedelectrical device (160). Connector B (1210-2) is an axially rotatedversion of connector A (1210-1). This can be shown by defining ageometric center (1240) of the face of the modified electrical device(160) and drawing a line between the geometric center of the device(1240) and a geometric center of connector A (1250-1). To obtain theorientation of connector B (1210-2), the line is rotated 180 degreesabout the geometric center (1240) of the modified electrical device(160). This achieves the identical results as shown in FIG. 12A.Specifically, connector B (1210-2) is upside down and on an oppositeside of the face of the modified electrical device (160) from connectorA (1210-1). A straight line passes through the geometric center (1240)of the connector A (1250-1), the geometric center (1240) of the modifiedelectrical device (1240), and the geometric center of connector B(1250-2).

FIG. 12C shows different positions of connectors A and B (1210) on theface of the modified electrical device (160) that follows the same rulesas FIG. 12A. Specifically, connector B (1210-2) is a vertically andhorizontally mirrored version of connector A (1210-1). However, in thiscase, the connectors are located closer to the center of the modifiedelectrical device (160) than the example shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. Theresulting pattern has a number of distinct characteristics, includingconnectors that are equally distant from the center and edges of themodified electrical device (160). FIG. 12D shows a different way ofdescribing the orientation of the connectors (1210) on the face of themodified electrical device (160) that is comparable to that used in FIG.12B. Specifically connector B (1210-2) is an axially rotated 180 degreesabout a geometric center (1240) to describe the location of connector A(1210-1).

Connectors (1210) are positioned so that the active cover plate (100,FIG. 1A) hides the connection when installed. The active cover plates(100, FIG. 1A) can leave the original functionality of the electricaldevice accessible and usable. For example, if the modified electricaldevice (160) is a duplex or decora outlet, both NEMA receptacles areaccessible and ready to be connected to an electrical cord.

The prong/port interfaces described above are only examples of one typeof interface. A variety of other interface types could be used. Forexample, FIGS. 13A and 13B show a modified electrical device (160) withsurface nubs (1320) that supply low voltage power to an active coverplate (100) with matching surface contacts (1310). The nubs (1320) aresupplied with low voltage power from internal circuitry in the modifiedelectrical device. For example, the nubs (1320) may be electrified with1.8 to 6 volts. The nubs (1320) in this example are small exposed bumpsof metal. The surface contacts (1310) on the cover plate may be metallicleaf springs that extend away from the surface of the active cover plate(100). When the active cover plate (100) is mounted to the modifiedelectrical device (160), the nubs (1320) depress the surface contacts(1310) to make a secure electrical contact.

Because of the low voltage applied to the nubs, the exposure of the nubswhen the cover plate is not in place does not pose a safety risk.Examples of various locations for nubs and their polarities are shown inthe figures. However, a number of other configurations could be used.The nubs could have any of a variety of locations and may or may notfollow one or more of the symmetrical rules described above. For examplethe nubs may be distributed over the face of the modified electricaldevice as shown in FIGS. 12A-12D so that the outlet/cover plate can bemounted either right side up or upside down.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show an electrical outlet (1400) (a “modifiedelectrical device”) that includes internal inductive coils (1410). Twopower wires (1425) are shown connected to the screw terminals (1412) oneither side of the outlet (1400). The internal inductive coils (1410)are located near the perimeter of the outlet (1400). The internalinductive coils (1410) are connected to internal conductors (1405). Inthis example, the inductive coils (1410) are shown as being electricallyconnected to the internal conductors (1405) of the stab-in connectors(1420).

In one implementation, a magnetic reed switch (1415) is placed in theline between the coils (1410). A magnetic reed switch (1415) isordinarily open and no current flows through the internal inductivecoils (1410). When a magnet (1434) is placed near the reed switch(1415), the reed switch (1415) closes and allows electrical current toflow.

FIG. 14B shows an active cover plate (100) placed over the modifiedelectrical outlet (1400) that includes internal coils. The active coverplate (100) includes two insulated tabs (1432-1, 1432-2). In thisexample, both insulated tabs (1432) have embedded low voltage coils(1438-1, 1438-2). The tab (1432-2) nearest the reed switch (1415) alsocontains a permanent magnet (1434). The permanent magnet (1434) closesthe reed switch (1415) inside the outlet (1400) to allow electricalenergy to flow through the high voltage coils (1436) in the outlet(1400). Electrical energy can then be inductively coupled out of thehigh voltage coils (1436) and into the active cover plate (100). Thus,when an active cover plate (100) is not in place over the outlet (1400),there is no energy dissipation in the outlet (1400). When the activecover plate (100) with an embedded magnet (1434) is placed over theoutlet (1400), the reed switch (1415) closes and allows the electricalcurrent to flow through the device. In this example, the powerextractors comprise the insulating tabs (1432), the low voltage coils(1438) and the permanent magnet (1434).

FIGS. 15A-15C show another example of an inductive coupling between anoutlet and a cover plate. FIG. 15A shows a modified outlet (1500)configured to accept a Europlug style cord. The modified outlet (1500)includes an internal coil (1502) around its perimeter.

FIG. 15B shows an active cover plate (100) that surrounds the outlet(1500). The active cover plate (100) contains a low voltage coil (1506)that inductively extracts power from the internal coil (1502). Thispowers any of a number of devices that may be present in the activecover plate (100). In this example, the active cover plate (100)includes a light sensor (1510) and a number of lights (1508). However,the cover plate (100) could include any of a number of components,including those described above. For example the active cover plate(100) could include a smoke detector, speaker, camera, wirelessconnectivity, carbon monoxide detector, or other device.

FIG. 15C shows a switch assembly (1520) that includes a double gang ofswitches (1522) and an active cover plate (100). A bezel (1532) runsaround the perimeter of the switches and is an integral part of theswitch assembly (1520). In this example, a high voltage coil (1528),represented by a dashed line, has been formed inside the bezel (1532).After the switches (1522) have been installed in the outlet box, theactive cover plate (100) can be installed around the switches (1522).Around the inner perimeter of the active cover plate (100), a lowvoltage coil (1526) has been installed to inductively extract power fromthe high voltage coil (1528). In this example, the active cover plate(100) includes a light sensor (1510) and a number of lights (1508). Thelights (1508) may be arranged in any of a variety of locations and pointin any direction. In this example, three of the lights are arranged topoint downward to illuminate the floor and two of the lights point tothe right to illuminate an adjacent doorway.

Inductive coupling of energy out of the outlet may have a number ofadvantages. Where the high voltage coils are an integral part of theoutlet, the active cover plate does not include any high voltagecomponents. This can reduce the design requirements of the active coverplate. Further, simple modifications of the outlet, such as attaching aclip containing high voltage coils to the outlet, allows productionoutlets to have the desired inductive coupling capabilities.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of an illustrative method (1600) for installingan electrical system that includes a modified electrical device and anactive cover plate. The electrical power is turned off to the electricalbox, room, or area in which the installation will take place (step1605). This may be done by throwing the appropriate breaker switch intoan OFF position or turning the electrical power off to the entirebuilding. If the modified electrical device is to replace an existingoutlet/switch, remove the existing cover plate and outlet/switch byremoving the fasteners and disconnecting the building wiring. For newconstruction there are no existing cover plates or outlet/switches andthe process can proceed to the next step. Connect the modifiedelectrical device to the building or commercial wiring by making theappropriate connections between the building wiring and electricalterminals on the modified electrical device (step 1610). In mostinstances, the electrical terminals on the modified electrical devicewill be in the same position as the electrical terminals in the olddevice. The terminals may be screw terminals on the sides of themodified electrical device, stab in connectors on the rear of thedevice, or other connections. The modified electrical device ismechanically connected to the electrical box or other structuralelement(s) (step 1615). In most instances the orientation (right sideup; upside down) of the modified electrical device is not critical. Thedesired orientation of the active cover plate is determined (step 1620)and the active cover plate is placed over the modified electrical devicein the desired orientation and the connectors are aligned (step 1625).If the active cover plate uses prong/port connections, the maleconnector on the active cover plate is pushed into contact with one ofthe female connectors on the modified electrical device (step 1630).This creates electrical contact between the prongs of the male connectorand ports in the female connector. The other female connector is notused because it does not align with a male connector on the active coverplate. The active cover plate is mechanically secured in place over themodified electrical device (step 1635). The power can then be turned on(step 1640) and the active cover plate and the modified electricaldevice begin to operate. The modified electrical device retains theoriginal functionality of the outlet/switch, including access to allpower receptacles present on the modified outlet. For example, if themodified electrical device replaces a duplex NEMA outlet, both of theNEMA receptacles are accessible and available to power externalappliances.

The steps described above are only one illustrative example. The methodmay be performed in any of a variety of ways. Steps in the method may bereordered, combined, omitted, or new steps may be added. For example, insome examples where the prongs/ports transfer only low voltages or thereare no exposed contacts in the design, it may be unnecessary for thepower to be turned off/on during the installation process.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of an illustrative method for controlling theflow of electrical power through a modified electrical device. Themethod may include making electrical contact between an active coverplate and a modified electrical device by pressing a connector on theactive cover plate into a mating connector on the outward face of themodified electrical device (block 1705). The internal circuitry in theactive cover plate generates a control signal (block 1710). The controlsignal can then be sent from the active cover plate through theconnector on the active cover plate and mating connector to control aflow of electricity through the modified electrical device (block 1715).

In summary, a modified electrical device includes a body and at leastone connector on the body to make power and control connections with anactive cover plate. The body may be any type of electrical receptacle orenergized device that is designed to supply or control power or tosupply electrical signals and is also configured to receive an activecover plate. The body may interface with the active cover plate throughany of a number of interfaces/connectors. The interface/connector mayinclude any of a variety of different types of connectors capable oftransmitting electrical power and/or signals. For example, the connectormay include surface contacts, wired connections, pin/prong connectionsor wireless connections. In one example, the connection is used to sendelectrical signals over a power connection. For example, the modifiedelectrical device and active cover plate may communicate usingcommunication over power line technology.

The modified electrical device includes internal control circuitry forcontrolling a flow of electrical current through the modified electricaldevice such as power conditioning circuitry, dimmers, relays, fuses,circuit breakers, or other circuitry. The active cover plate suppliescontrol signals to the internal control circuitry in the modifiedelectrical device via the at least one connector. For example, themodified electrical device may include step down circuitry to supply alow voltage to the active cover plate via the at least one connector.

In general, the at least one connector is configured to supply power tothe active cover plate with a first polarity when the active cover plateis in a first orientation with respect to the modified electrical deviceand to supply power with the same polarity to the active cover platewhen the active cover plate is in a second orientation with respect tothe modified electrical device. For example, the first orientation maybe a right side up orientation and the second orientation may be anupside down orientation. In one example, the body comprises a switchbody and the at least one connection comprises a hot port and a neutralport. The use of a neutral port allows the body to supply electricalpower to the active cover plate regardless of whether the light switchis on or off. In one example, an active cover plate that is adapted tobe connected over a switch body may include a ground contact that isconfigured to contact a grounded surface of the switch body. For examplethe ground contact may be a spring or leaf style contact that ispositioned to make an electrical connection to a grounded yoke of theswitch body.

In some examples, the modified electrical device is configured to acceptboth the active cover plate and a standard cover plate that does notinclude internal circuitry. Additionally or alternatively, the modifiedelectrical device may be configured to accept an active cover plate withprongs that make electrical contact with screw terminals on the sides ofthe receptacle body.

The connector on the modified electrical device may include female portsadapted to receive male prongs extending from a surface of the activecover plate, wherein the female ports comprise at least two power portsand at least one control port. There may be two connectors on themodified electrical device and/or on the active cover plate. The twoconnectors may include a first connector and a second connector, whereinthe second connector is a horizontally and vertically mirrored copy ofthe first connector. These connectors allow the modified electricaldevice to be in two way communication of electrical signals with theactive cover plate.

In some examples, the circuitry to support a particular function may besplit between the active cover plate and the modified electrical device.For example, an active cover plate may include low voltage circuitry anda first interface and a modified high voltage circuitry and a secondinterface to connect to the first interface to supply low voltage to theactive cover plate. These interfaces may be wired or wireless. Forexample, the interfaces (ports) may include a power interface, acommunication interface, and a control interface. For example, theinterface on a modified electrical device may include 6 ports, two powerports, two communication ports, and two control ports. The high voltagecircuitry in the outlet body may include a relay or a dimmer controlledby a control signal received from the active cover plate. The modifiedelectrical device may be configured to accept both an active cover plateand a standard cover plate that does not include internal circuitry. Themodified electrical device may be in two way communication with anactive cover plate. For example, the modified electrical device mayreport power consumption to the active cover plate which may send asignal to open the relay to turn off the power.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate anddescribe examples of the principles described. This description is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching. For example, the number, size, and geometry ofthe pins/female ports can be selected to best accommodate the systemrequirements. Further, the functionality of the various devices can beselected and distributed between the active cover plate and the switchbody to best meet the needs of the system.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modified electrical device comprising: a body;at least one connector on the body to make power connections and acontrol connection with an active cover plate.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the body of the modified electrical device comprises internalcontrol circuitry for controlling a flow of electrical current throughthe modified electrical device, wherein the active cover plate suppliescontrol signals to the internal control circuitry in the modifiedelectrical device via the at least one connector.
 3. The device of claim1, wherein the body of the modified electrical device comprises stepdown circuitry to supply a voltage to the active cover plate via the atleast one connector.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least oneconnector is configured to supply power to the active cover plate with afirst polarity when the active cover plate is in a first orientationwith respect to the modified electrical device and to supply power withthe same polarity to the active cover plate when the active cover plateis in a second orientation with respect to the modified electricaldevice.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the first orientation is aright side up orientation and the second orientation is an upside downorientation.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least oneconnector comprises female ports adapted to receive male prongsextending from a surface of the active cover plate, wherein the femaleports comprise at least two power ports and at least one control port.7. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a switch body andthe at least one connection comprises a hot port and a neutral port orground port.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the modified electricaldevice is configured for two way communication of electrical signalswith the active cover plate.
 9. A system comprising: an active coverplate comprising low voltage circuitry and a first interface; and amodified electrical device comprising: high voltage circuitry; and asecond interface to connect to the first interface to supply low voltageto the active cover plate.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the secondinterface comprises a power port, a communication port, and a controlport.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the high voltage circuitrycomprises a relay or a dimmer controlled by a control signal receivedfrom the active cover plate.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein themodified electrical device is configured to accept both the active coverplate and a standard cover plate that does not include internalcircuitry.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first interfacecomprises a first multiconductor connector and a second multiconductorconnector, wherein the second connector is a horizontally and verticallymirrored copy of the first connector such that the active cover platemay be mounted in an upside down orientation or a right side uporientation on the modified electrical device.
 14. The system of claim9, wherein the second interface comprises a first multiconductorconnector and a second multiconductor connector, wherein the secondconnector is a horizontally and vertically mirrored copy of the firstconnector.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the active cover plate andthe modified electrical device are in two way communication with eachother.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the body comprises a switchbody and the active cover plate comprises a ground contact configured tocontact a grounded surface of the switch body.
 17. The system of claim9, wherein the body comprises a switch body and the at least oneconnection comprises a hot connection and a neutral or groundconnection.
 18. A method for controlling a flow of electrical powercomprising: making electrical contact between an active cover plate anda modified electrical device by pressing at least one connector on theactive cover plate into a mating connector on the modified electricaldevice; generating, with internal circuitry in the active cover plate, acontrol signal; and sending the control signal from the active coverplate through the male prong to the female port to control a flow ofelectricity through the modified electrical device.